A smidgen over 6 feet, Kimora Lee Simmons towers over most average-height men. That, or she could just be sitting on the stack of millions (somewhere in the hundreds) generated by her Baby Phat empire, which she and husband, Russell Simmons (the first CEO of hip-hop, fall back, Hov) built together. Regardless of her many achievements as a supermodel, TV host (Life & Style), noted author (Fabulosity), fashion designer, and devoted mom, Kimora is at a crossroads. While business is booming, her marital status is looming, and fiendish fellas are ready for the chow bell to ring. But right now, the black and Japanese lovely's luxuriously long legs are sprouting out of a skimby bikini next to Miami's lavish Ritz Carlton hotel pool. Sippin' on something sweet, giving the pesky paparazzi the flashes of flesh they need, Kimora, now in her early 30s, ponders her past, present and future like a true diamond diva should...in grand style, crumbs.

You've got a couple bucks in the bank. Do you think people are under the impression that money defines you?

Yeah I find that, but I don't think anything of it. People always feel like they know you in some sort of way because they saw you on Cribs. So that's why they identify with you.

So do people ask for a low-interest loan when they first meet you?

They usually say how nice I am. And how I'm so tall or they think I'm beautiful. They also say they didn't think I'd be nice. They might've thought I was a bitch.

You can understand the diva expectations...

Everybody has a little inner diva or inner king or inner whatever you choose to call that word. People should nurture that and embrace it. Particularly women. If you're outspoken and know what you want, you're sometimes looked at as a diva or a bitch. And if you don't speak up or speak out, you're looked at as a pushover.

Continue reading this story in the September 2006 issue of KING (#34).

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